Maple Syrup Cooking Demo at the Ashery is a sweet reason to visit

With the sweet aroma of maple syrup wafting off the front porch of the Ashery Country Store during the annual Maple Syrup Cooking Demo Days March 6-7 and March 13-14, visitors from any corner of the state should be able to follow their nose to arrive at this sweet demonstration.

Maple Syrup Cooking Demo Days features local syrup-maker Steve Sommers, owner of Amber Valley Maple Products LTD, and he will present a small demonstration while sharing exactly how he turns maple sap into something special.

While a small evaporator cooker gives people an idea as to how syrup is made, the real fun is watching Sommers bottle fresh maple syrup he made at his facility and visitors will be served fresh hot maple syrup.

In addition to maple syrup, which he will be making on a very limited basis, Sommers will have samples of maple goodies like maple cotton candy, candied maple nuts, maple creams and molded maple sugar candies.

Sommers began making maple syrup when he was about 7 years old, when his grandmother and grandfather introduced him to it. Back then he was carrying buckets, but he has learned a lot since.

Listening to Sommers share on the front porch at the Ashery is mesmerizing and his stories have the ability to help older generations harken back to a simpler time.

“The joy of making maple sugar has been in our family a long time,” Sommers said. “One of the neat things about the cooking demo is that I can sit out front and work and chat with people. This seems to bring back a lot of memories for some, and our demonstration fires up a lot of questions. A lot of people talk about how they remember doing this when they were little kids, and back in the days my grandparents were doing this, sugar was often rationed, so people turned to boiling maple syrup as an alternative.”

Sommers said joining Ashery owner Curt Yoder and his family of employees has been a wonderful fit and is a great experience for visitors who might not know exactly how maple sugar is made.

The allure of the maple syrup is just the beginning in a visit to the Ashery during the cooking demonstration. Inside patrons will find discounts on all maple-related products, as well as the usual shopping list of fresh fruit and vegetables, a large meat and cheese deli filled with fresh products, the enormous wall of spices, the Ashery’s own candy and snack mixes, everything to fulfill their baking and cooking needs, and of course Cecil’s own frozen custard ice cream. There also are plenty of fresh samples around the store for folks to try before they buy.

Ashery Country Store Bulk Foods is located at 8922 state Route 241, two miles north of Mount Hope. Call the store at 330-359-5615. While the Ashery will send out email blasts to promote the big event, more information can be found on its website at www.asherycountrystore.com.